Donald Keough, who helped steer Coca-Cola through 'cola wars,' dies at 88

Coca-Cola says longtime executive Donald Keough, who steered the company through the "cola wars" of the 1980s, died Tuesday in Atlanta. He was 88.

Keough served as the company's president and chief operating officer from 1981 to 1993. He is credited with building Coca-Cola into a more global company.

During his tenure, Coca-Cola introduced "New Coke" as it was fighting off efforts by PepsiCo to take market share. After Coke fans protested, the company ended up dumping New Coke and bringing back the old formula.

After his retirement in 1993, Keough remained an adviser to the company. He served on the board from 2004 to 2013.